May 28, 2016 at 09:25PM

On March 8, 2016, following a gradual restriction since February 2016 of access to the Balkan route based on ethnic origin criteria, the border between Greece and FYROM (Macedonia) was closed for all third-country nationals. In the aftermath of this closure, over 54,000 refugees – about 60% of who are women and children – have suddenly become trapped in Greece. There are hundreds of disabled and elderly people, cancer patients and persons suffering from other severe chronic or incurable diseases, as well as psychologically traumatized persons, pregnant women, families with new-borns and unaccompanied minors. A very high percentage of them is estimated to be admissible for family reunification or relocation. All these people are barely surviving the inhumane and devastating conditions in the reception centres, while at the same time the dirty deal agreed by Turkey and Europe turned the hot spots on the islands of the Aegean into detention- and deportation centres, keeping out those who were planning to follow. Within the framework of the PRO ASYL project “Refugee Support Program in the Aegean” (RSPA), this report was collated based on research conducted for the RSPA-Newsletter by the colleagues Salinia Stroux and Chrissi Wilkens and the firsthand accounts of refugees in Greece.
via Do Note http://ift.tt/1TMthcV